The Female Hero Party That Exiled Me, All of Them Are Mentally Broken - Chapter 1

“Alphonse. We don’t need dead weight like you at our party anymore.”

It was the night before we were supposed to march on the Demon King’s castle. At our campsite, the cold voice of the female Hero Yuria, cut through the crackling of the fire.

“Huh?”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Standing next to me, the saint Serara-san and the female knight Naitsu-san both looked at me with eyes as cold as ice.

“Your enchantments don’t work anymore. Just disappear to the outskirts or somewhere.”

Her hands, which would normally have pat my shoulder gently, were clenched tight, and I could see them trembling slightly.

“T-That… I can still help everyone.”

It was true that as an enchanter, I wasn’t much use in direct combat. But I had always supported them in other ways while boosting their strength, helping their spirits, and keeping them safe.

But.

“No. You’re a burden. Your very presence puts our lives in danger.”

Serara-san’s words stabbed into my chest like icy blades.

It was true, I wasn’t a fighter. In battles against the high-ranking Demon King’s army, I only got in the way. They had been hit protecting me, taking wounds meant for me.

On the battlefield that was filled with the smell of blood and burnt flesh, I had always just hidden behind their backs. They had forced themselves to protect someone as weak as me all this time.

I couldn’t let my selfishness hurt their beautiful bodies or hearts any longer.

“Do you understand, Al?”

Yuria was my precious childhood friend. She carried a special mission, to defeat the Demon King and save the world. I couldn’t let my selfishness get her killed. I couldn’t let the world be destroyed.

“I understand. Thank you for protecting me all this time.”

I bowed my head deeply. I slung my pack back onto my shoulders.

The cold night wind stabbed at my skin. I started walking alone down the dark forest path, guided only by the moonlight.

My chest ached and was twisting painfully.

But if this meant they could fight with everything they had, I didn’t mind.

◇

The moment Alphonse’s footsteps disappeared completely.

“Ahhh.”

With a heavy crash of armor, the female knight Naitsu collapsed to her knees on the muddy ground. She pressed her hands to the cold earth as tears spilled down in big drops.

“…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Alphonse-sama.”

The saint Serara covered her face with both hands, and her body shook as she hiccuped. Guilt tore at her for hurting someone she loved with her own words.

“This is for the best.”

The hero Yuria clenched her fists so hard her lips bled. The taste of iron and warm blood filled her mouth. The demon army’s attack was brutal; if Alphonse stayed with them, he would surely die.

Just the other day, when an enemy’s blade grazed his cheek, Yuria’s heart had frozen in terror. This was a desperate lie, meant to keep him far from the battlefield.

She had cut away the person who had been by her side since childhood, the one who meant everything to her with her own hands.

“My sword feels so heavy without Alphonse’s enchantments.”

Naitsu muttered bitterly.

Only now did she fully feel how much his magic had protected their bodies and minds. No, she had known that all along.

“If we go mad, but he can live in peace in a safe town, then it’s worth it.”

Yuria smiled through empty eyes. Tears poured endlessly from them.

The three remaining members stepped forward into the deadly battlefield with their faces full of despair.

◇

A few days later.

The wagon rocked and creaked as it rolled along, and I was heading toward a frontier town.

Soft morning sunlight streamed through the window, slowly warming my chilled body.

“I’ll do my best to start a new life in a peaceful town.”

I stretched my arms and looked up at the clear blue sky ahead.

I had no idea that my friends had completely broken under the weight of love and guilt.